“Tomorrow, we shall meet again. I will send the family names directly to the clan. So stop thinking about going anywhere.”
After the couple’s quarrel, there couldn’t be a draw to the conclusion of separation. Zhuge Geuk proposed a compromise to overcome this unexpected mid-life crisis.
“Our son-in-law. You’re not just going to sit there and confine him to the Demon Realm, right?”
Zhuge Geuk realized that his wife’s fiery voice had calmed down a bit.
Now, here’s where it gets important. A couple with a good relationship has a quarrel after a long time, and now they find themselves waving white flags. There was a need for careful adjustments to proclaim a peaceful truce.
“I will try my best to stay calm…”
“Please look at it warmly.”
During the truce negotiations, what a surprise attack it was when the wife gently took her husband’s hand. In front of the husband, his wife’s face looked lovingly up at him as if she had never been angry.
“W-wifey.”
“You can evaluate him coldly as you wish. That’s the duty of a father for our daughter. But, let’s not forget that he’s the one who stopped a major catastrophe from happening in the Martial Arts World. He also saved your father-in-law’s life. Can’t you treat him a little more kindly?”
“…I will try not to get angry.”
Wife. Daughter. Father-in-law. Even the sister-in-law. Thinking about the crimes that fellow committed still kept him boiling, but Zhuge Geuk spoke as generously as he could for his wife.
“He’s the child your father-in-law can trust to watch his back. If you look closely at that kid, I’m sure you’ll like him.”
“Bringing a black-haired son-in-law? Just hearing that would cause a huge uproar in our clan. If my wife’s misdeeds are revealed, the elders of the family will come after us with their canes.”
The interference of her maternal family in the Zhuge family affairs indeed crossed the line. Zhuge Geuk expressed concern, wanting to avoid family conflicts as a husband.
“You will protect us, right?”
Jang Young-young gazed at her husband with eyes filled with trust, looking like her youngest daughter, as she caressed his cheek.
“Who else will protect our family?”
Upon her husband’s remarkably reassuring words, Jang Young-young smiled with ease.
“Alright then. That means that kid will be recognized as part of our family.”
“…That’s…”
“You always have to say one more thing, don’t you? Come here.”
Let’s make up. Jang Young-young opened her arms wide as if she wanted to embrace him right away.
“Wife. All of a sudden? I-I’m still very angry!”
“I know I made mistakes too. Come here.”
Zhuge Geuk’s eyes trembled.
If it had only been the wife’s unilateral mistakes, they wouldn’t have waved the white flags at all. But now, with the father-in-law’s issues and the Demonic Cult involved, they were both waving the white flags.
“Cough, cough!”
Is my wife actually a nine-tailed fox? Zhuge Geuk peeked to see if anyone was looking before approaching his wife.
“Now go.”
“Huh?”
“Only now do you seem like the reliable head of the family.”
The couple’s eyes drew closer, and at last, a dramatic reconciliation unfolded.
“W-what, you’re not going to your parents’ home anymore?”
“Why? Did you enjoy a few days of separate rooms?”
“Of course not! If you hadn’t caused such a fuss in the first place, I wouldn’t have made that decision…”
“Yes. I know. I understand.”
An awkward yet ticklish conversation unfolded in the room.
Shh shh!
Unbeknownst to anyone but the nine-tailed mother, a box quietly slipped out of the room.
—————
“Are you saying my father-in-law will meet again?”
In the room prepared by the mother-in-law, which was not to be a prison in the Demon Realm, a surprise gift lay inside the suddenly appeared box.
“Yes! Mother worked hard for this, aah!”
“Wow! They say a mother-in-law loves her son-in-law! All thanks to Miss Zhuge!”
I thought I was in big trouble when I was dragged off to the Demon Realm.
He lifted Miss Zhuge high.
Stepping in, he spun in a whirl of joy that would even make the barbarian warrior who hunts hellish demons weep.
“W-Watch out, Master Kang, I’m dizzy!”
“Good, isn’t it?”
“Gil-san, when did you come?”
Gil-san entered the room with a smirk.
I suppose I’ll end the whirl here. I can’t have civilians getting hurt with techniques that only capture demons.
“I was searching for you in the Head Family’s Hall and the Demon Realm. Didn’t you go into a state of restraint, Gil-san? How come you’re here?”
Spinning spinning! Aah?! That’s easy enough.
Miss Zhuge playfully leaned her head against my chest, still dizzy and answering bashfully.
“I heard the martial artists were on full alert at the door… Anyway, Kang Yoon-ho! You almost got stuck in the Demon Realm, right? Are you okay?”
“Of course! My father-in-law has agreed to meet again tomorrow.”
“What a relief. I thought the guy yelling in front of the door was crazy.”
“HA HA HA.”
“Thanks to you, the Zhuge family is in chaos. What were you thinking?”
I intended to enter the Zhuge family boldly.
Kang Yoon-ho had torn the Sichuan Tang family apart. Surely it was a method that had worked well, too. I thought I’d walk in confidently to the Zhuge family, yet—
“To bring back the Zhuge family’s youngest daughter, I borrowed a bit from my ancestor’s precedent.”
Though it wouldn’t have mattered if it didn’t work.
“Your ancestor’s precedent?”
“There’s a legendary figure from Joseon who wrote tales through public opinion. Spread the rumors first. Once started, malicious ones can’t be picked up again. Make the incident as big as possible to the point where it’s impossible to bury.”
As they say, once you warm your hands with old lore, you can learn from it and apply it to new times.
Using the method of my ancestor who faced circumstances similar to mine.
“What a man filled with malice.”
“A truly legendary figure. Started as a herbalist and ended up marrying a princess.”
He ended up managing to take the throne with malicious rumors and lies—truly a legend of this trade.
“So, you’re saying it all happened because of the rumors?”
“Ay, my father can scold Master Kang and just quietly chase him away. So we spread the rumors first.”
As Gil-san looked at Hayang as if wondering what nonsense her boyfriend was spouting, Hayang nodded and explained on my behalf.
“Exactly. Once you’ve entered the Zhuge family, it’s definitely an ending we do not hope for.”
I almost got quietly kicked out myself.
“Making a scene is good for me, but are you sure about this? A grandfather walked in this morning with a red face, asking if the rumors were true.”
“Grandfather?”
What nonsense is that? As I looked at Gil-san with a bewildered expression, Miss Zhuge exclaimed in surprise.
“Aah! That’s right! Father worried that if the family elders found out, it would be a huge issue.”
“The problem started when that brat yelled at the door.”
“Aaah… Well, that’s true.”
“Doesn’t that mean my father-in-law’s permission isn’t the end?”
As I muttered, Gil-san looked at me as if asking what I was talking about.
“It’s the Zhuge family. The head’s influence may be important, but of course, you must greet the elders of the family. Even if it’s not permission, you need to gain their consent.”
Damn that large family. The Zhuge family is practically a whole village of relatives. When visiting the in-laws during holidays, I’d have to take a number and greet all the relatives.
“This is a headache… Huh?! Miss Zhuge, what are you doing?”
Why is she getting back into the box?
“I-If it’s come to this! I-I’ll sneak into where the elders are and gather intel!”
Miss Zhuge, no matter what, sneaking into the Elders’ Council is a no-go.
“During the holidays, I’ll end up alone among the relatives with no job or boyfriend, subjected to their focused questions—I’d rather not!”
“Aah! I can’t…”
“Now that’s oddly realistic, isn’t it?”
Everyone has their holiday pain.
“Miss Zhuge. Do you…?”
“D-do you have any close friends? Have you ever received a love letter? No? Then what? What hobbies have you been enjoying? Are you taking bridal classes? Your cousin is already married with a child, right? Ugh…”
Oops.
The Zhuge family is a clan. Naturally, the relatives gathering during the holidays would be overwhelming. Somehow, I must have triggered Miss Zhuge’s holiday stress trauma.
“Hey, fix this quickly.”
Gil-san elbowed me, as if saying she was going to pull that again.
I had no choice. I whispered in the ear of Miss Zhuge, who was holding her head.
“Miss Zhuge. If we want to hold hands sweetly during next year’s holiday, we should focus on getting your father’s permission first.”
“Hah! Yes! Once this is over, I won’t have to search for a hiding place from my relatives during the next Lunar New Year!”
That’s the spirit.
“Exactly. We should think about the first hurdle. We can’t avoid prejudices against black-haired individuals. Once we get the father-in-law’s consent, we can tackle the elders’ opposition… Huh?”
First hurdle. Second hurdle. No, it doesn’t even need two hurdles, right?
“What is it, Master Kang? Do you have any thoughts?”
“Miss Zhuge, could you help me out here?”
“Y-yes?”
—————
“Did you hear the news?”
In the Elders’ Council of the Zhuge family. Once active but now retired elders still showing off their power in the place.
Some call it a retirement home for the worthless old folks passing their time, but right now, one rumor was circulating.
“The Man Geum Battlefield’s successor is said to be black-haired?”
“The Man Geum Battlefield? The head of the family’s father-in-law is Man Geum-jeon. What does it mean that the black-haired one is the successor?”
“I heard that the head of the family has taken in the black-haired kid as a son-in-law.”
“What?! What kind of nonsense is this?!”
The interest of the elders instantly converged.
“I heard the black-haired kid came to meet the father-in-law at the door.”
“I heard he got trapped in the Demon Realm.”
“Aren’t those just rumors?”
“They say the youngest daughter caused a scene, and the head of the family is in a bind.”
“What? Hayang?! No way!”
“Isn’t that just the recklessness of youth?”
“No way, is it true that they would take in the black-haired kid just because there was a problem?”
“To a family with a renowned lineage! A black-haired son-in-law! What on earth is happening in this world!”
A black-haired son-in-law.
No matter how much they respected the head’s opinion, there are still things that must be adhered to. The council members felt their morning low blood pressure vanish and were ready to shout at a moment’s notice.
“Tsk! They should have educated their children properly! This is why the younger generation is hopeless. Isn’t that right?”
“…”
Silence? Normally, someone would have chimed in, so why is no one responding? When an elder turned his head, he was met with an unexpected sight.
“What are you doing?”
“A book piled on that unfamiliar box caught my attention, hehe.”
In the hands of a white-haired elder rested a book not seen before.
“A book?”
Turning his head, he saw a heap of books stacked on the box.
Though the council discusses major clan affairs, it is also a place for retired elders to pass the time among themselves. Did someone bring a fun book?
It was strange how their reactions were so bizarre.
“Hehehe! No, this is really… is it mysterious to say? Hehehe!”
From the white-haired elder’s lips came a voice of someone who seemed to have found an unexpected treasure.
What on earth kind of book could elicit such a reaction?
The elder focused on the book’s cover.
“…Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes?”
The title of the book seemed as if it had been eagerly awaiting everyone.
